Pedro Guerrero

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Pedro Guerrero (born June 29, 1956 in San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic) is a former Major League Baseball player who spent his career (1978-1992) with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Writer Bill James called Guerrero "the best hitter God has made in a long time." ^{[citation needed]} Originally signed as a free agent by the Indians, Guerrero was acquired by the Dodgers in exchange for pitching flop Bruce Ellingsen. His five RBIs in the final game of the 1981 World Series earned him a piece of the first three-way Series MVP award. In 1982, he became the first Dodger to hit 30 HRs and steal 20 bases in a season, and he did it again the following year.

In 1985, Guerrero tied a major league record with 15 HRs in June en route to tying the Los Angeles record of 33. He also reached base 14 consecutive times that year, two shy of Ted Williams' record, and led the league in slugging, on-base and home run percentage.

Although an aggressive baserunner, he was considered a poor slider.^{[citation needed]} He ruptured a tendon sliding in spring training and missed most of the 1986 season, subsequently curtailing his base-stealing numbers. His .338 BA in 1987 was the highest for a Dodger since Tommy Davis' .348 in 1962. That year, he earned UPI's Comeback Player of the Year award.

Dodger management shifted him to third base in mid-career, playing him there sporadically as the need arose. Although he gained a reputation for being shaky at third^{[citation needed]}, he was statistically as good as anyone in the league at getting to the ball.

In the minors, he made all-star teams at both first base and third base, and he broke into the Dodger lineup as a replacement for the injured Davey Lopes at second base.^{[citation needed]} Guerrero was traded to the Cardinals for pitcher John Tudor during Los Angeles' 1988 championship season.

In 1989, Guerrero earned serious MVP consideration, batting .311 with 17 home runs, a career-high 117 RBIs and a league-high 42 doubles. His production fell off sharply afterwards. He finished his career batting just .219 with one home run in 1992 as a shoulder injury limited him to 43 games.

Guerrero was acquitted of federal drug charges in 2000. His attorneys argued that he was functionally illiterate and had an IQ of 70, making it impossible for him to understand the drug deal he was involved in with a friend [1].

[edit] External link

• Baseball-Reference.com - career statistics and analysis

[edit] Reference

• http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ballplayers/player.php?name=Pedro_Guerrero_1956

Preceded by Mike Schmidt	World Series MVP (with Ron Cey and Steve Yeager) 1981	Succeeded by Darrell Porter
Preceded by Dave Parker	National League Player of the Month June 1985	Succeeded by Keith Hernandez
Preceded by Mark Grace	National League Player of the Month August 1989	Succeeded by Will Clark